Throwback: Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin
- Killjoy Reviews
- Jul 30, 2020
- 2 min read
By Dylan Shulman
1969. Four-piece band. Nine tracks. Zero misses. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham execute a blend of blues and rock so refined and yet so loose it's impossible to let go. Filled with love, sex, Jimi Hendrix and Lord of the Rings references, what more could anyone want from a rock album? All nine tracks have unlimited replay value and remain some of my favorite rock songs; "Bring It On Home" is one of my favorite songs of all time. All four band members are at their best. Page delivers the iconic guitar solo on “Heartbreaker” and Bonham kills the drum solo on “Moby Dick.” Plant’s vocals are unmatched, no matter how hard Josh Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet tries. And all the while, Jones is powering away on bass, interspersing rhythm and melody with an ease that belies veritable talent and skill. Lyrically, the group maintains the metaphors and imagery that prevailed through rock and roll at the time, with an added Tolkien flair. Early in their legendary career, Led Zeppelin struck gold.
What keeps Zeppelin among my favorite artists is their varied guitar riffs. Every song on this album has a riff that I would instantly recognize and place as Zeppelin, and I don’t think there are many bands that I could say the same. Furthermore, I couldn’t review this album without bringing up the transition from “Heartbreaker” to “Living Loving Maid.” Radio stations wouldn’t play one without the other. Those are followed by “Ramble On,” an acoustic song that belongs in the sea air. Bonham, the drummer, excels at incorporating rhythmic sextuplets into his fills, which for those who don’t know, are incredibly difficult and the next track “Moby Dick” is simply full of them. Then the finale of the album is one of my favorite blues songs, and to use an anachronism, the beat drop on the track is ahead of its time.
It's Zeppelin when they're raw, explosive, and unapologetic. If you like classic and hard rock, and more broadly, music as a whole, you’d struggle to find fault through the ingenuity and talent within this record.
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